Windows Delivered and installed

Working in the industry, I have been looking forward to this day since we planned what our windows would look like on the floor plan all those months ago. And, I am happy to report I am not disappointed.

The two front bedroom windows are 2400h x 2100w each and are basically floor to ceiling glass - they look great (just won't worry about the cleaning they will bring).

We have many large fixed panels of glass in the house, most of which span 2400h - loving the glass and the feeling of space.

The rear 4 panel Alfresco door has also had the frame installed - can't wait to see this with the panels installed later.

The colour we chose was precious silver pearl, and has a lovely glitter / pearliest shimmer to it. Should look really good when we render the brick work after hand over.

There were two little issues however - seems the window company made a few errors. Our main bedroom window was made approx 100mm too short in height, and one of the front bedroom windows were made in the incorrect configuration - they were supposed to be a mirror image of one another, but instead, we received two of the same configuration. We rang our SS immediately, who said he had already discussed this with the supplier, and new windows were being arranged.

Aside from these little problems, we are very happy with our window selections.

The house has also started to be wrapped - its really feeling like a house now!
 
Tomorrow the gutter and faschia will be done, and more wrapping.

Inside view from front bedroom

 

View from living room looking through the 4 panel door into alfresco area

 

Rear backyard - ensuite, main bed (with wrong size window) and WIR

 

Front bedrooms - these window should be a mirror image - not the same.....

 

Long shot down the side of the house

 

Garage on left, front entry in middle, bed 2 on right

 

 

Shot from the street - looking pretty impressive!

 

 

 

It only took two weeks but.......

..... our frames are up and finished.

Our SS warned us that there might be a few hiccups with the steel frame - its only the second steel frame coral has done. Seems he was right.

The weather here hasn't helped either. Our site was literally a mud pit.

Anyway - they are finished now and everything looks really good. The frame feels really strong and is dead straight.

We are very happy customers!

The Mechano set taking shape - view of the front of the house

 

View from the back yard looking into the house through the Alfresco area

 

The front of the house - two front bedrooms with big windows

 

 

 

 

We are going back for more.......

We have decided to go back for more punishment and put a rear retaining wall the full length of our back boundary.

Our landscaper has been fabulous, and has quoted us up to have the job done any time now, while we still have access.

Hopefully we will get this going in the next week or so..... hopefully it goes better than the first one!!

We also went shopping over the weekend. Freedom had a sale and we couldn't say no! We picked up a lounge for the living area, a feature chair with ottoman, and a wing chair for the library/study. Lucky for us, the lead time on the products were 2 months, so this helped us heaps.

Its all starting to come together!

Frame work is up, up, up and away!

Well, after a week or so wait, the frames are well on their way.

All the frame work is now done and looking great. The Roof trusses were supposed to be craned on last friday, but due to the wet weather it was a no go.

When we went to have a look, we noticed that the main wall between the hallway and the main living area seemed to be backways - the main opening was in the wrong spot! Whopps! After a quick call to our SS, it was fixed up!

We were quite nervous about the frames being up becasue we brough this house right off the floor plan (and a few tweaks on our end). There wasn't a sydney display of this home. We loved it on paper, and had our fingers crossed that we would still love it once the frames were up and we could walk through it (too late anyway if we didn't). We are happy to say it has exceeded our expecations. Every room is perfect and I'm really loving the open kitchen/dining/lounge area.

The study was alittle smaller than we first thought, so its become more of a library, instead of a usable study - but thats ok with us.

Hopefully the rain stays away long enough next week to get the roof trusses on and the gutter and faschia up...... fingers crossed the weather is good.

Here are a few pics.

This is taken from the kitchen looking into the bedroom

Looking at the from bedrooms and activity room - its a giant mechano set

View from the rear back corner - ensuite on the left, main bed on the right.

View looking at the front door - its a big door! Garage on the left.

Keenan's Theatre room step - couches will be ontop and infornt

The retaining wall......

..... has been certified!!!

After much back and forth, we finally received word today, that the wall has been passed and deemed 'satisfactory'.

Thank goodness!!! End of that chapter hopefully.

There hasn't been much action on the block for the last few days. The framer has gone 'MIA' - he was supposed to turn up last Thursday to start work, however he didn't turn up - he is uncontactable and has just disappeared. Coral is now rushing to try and find another framing company to get them up. Finger crossed another company should be onsite tomorrow starting to put them up.

Just want it started already!

We also have the excavation machine thingo going to site tomorrow morning to cut out the back retaining wall. From there we will be able to organise to have that one done - hopefully it will be less drama than the first wall.

we'll be heading to site tomorrow for some pics, so I will post some tomorrow.

Cheers!

Frames have arrived!!

Our steel frames arrived onsite today. They were originally planned for delivery yesterday, however, the commute from QLD appeared to set them back a day.

Carpenters are onsite tomorrow to start putting the giant mechano set together! Or at least I think they are chippies.... or are they metal workers if its a metal frame???? Dunno....

The temporary fencing also went up today. It was good to get a feel for how big (or small....) the back yard will be, off the alfresco area.

Yesterday our landscaper went back to site and finalised the 'infamous' retaining wall. The certifier was supposed to be onsite today to (hopefully) approve it...... however we didn't hear from them this afternoon, so we are hoping that no news is good news. We'll be chasing them tomorrow morning so we know once and for all where we are standing with this wall. Fingers crossed.

Looks like the next week will be all frame work. Gutters and fascias turn up straight up.

Lots of pics below.

And the retaining wall is done.... just needs to be approved

Thats a big pile of frames

Roof trusses for the portico porch area - they are cute.

Some of the main roof trusses

Our name is on this house..... literally!

Box of goodies.... pop rivets etc

Now thats a bracket - holding the roof trusses together

 All shinny!

 Shot of the back yard, standing in the master bedroom.

The retaining wall...... again................

Soooooooo, our landscaper has been to site (for the third time now!) and has completed the retaining wall, so it goes right to the rear boundary. The private certifier is heading out to site tomorrow, so fingers crossed he finally approves the wall and we can close this chapter once and for all.

Because this has all been too easy (?!?!?!?!?), we decided to run a retaining wall the whole back length of the boundary. Our SS was kind enough to organise to have his bobcat guy dig out all the dirt required (and take the dirt) for $100 bucks! Deal of the century, given there is probably 8-10 tonnes of dirt to move. This was all scheduled to happen yesterday, and from there, we would organise the fence (once the current one is approved and closed off).

However, as seems to be our luck with retaining walls, the bob cat could not unearth the rock hard dry clay which was onsite. Weeks of rain and then sun, has turned the clay into almost rock!

So, the bob cat guy couldn't do the job after all that! So we still have all that dirt sitting onsite! Fortunately, our SS said he could organise the bigger digging machined (dunno what it is actually called) to come out to our site when it was next in the area to break through the clay - and he was kind enough to pay 50% of the cost for us, as he was feeling sorry for us.

Should have an idea when this will happen by the end of the week.

Unbelievable!! Don't build retaining walls!!!!

Below is a pic of the final I-beam against the rear masonry retaining wall on our neighbours plot. Timber sleepers were fitted today, so I'll have a new pic tomorrow.

We're off to site tomorrow to check out what the chippies were up to and hopefully celebrate the approval of our retaining wall...... hopefully we'll have good news tomorrow!!